After the Storm
Encyclopedia
After the Storm is the fourth studio album
by American R&B
singer Monica, released June 17, 2003, on J Records
. Conceived from her abandoned project All Eyez on Me
(2002), it was recorded during 2001 to 2003 at Doppler Studios, Patchwerk Studios, and SouthSide Studios in Atlanta, Georgia
, Soulpower Studios and The Enterprise Studios in Los Angeles, California
, and Hit Factory Criteria in Miami, Florida
. Production for the album was handled primarily by Missy Elliott
, Soulshock & Karlin
, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, and BAM & Ryan
.
The album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200
chart, selling 186,000 copies in its first week. It produced three singles that attained Billboard
chart success and has been certified gold
by the Recording Industry Association of America
for shipments of one million copies in the United States. After the Storm received generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics. As of August 2010, the album has sold 1,023,000 copies in the United States.
asked Monica to substantially reconstruct the record with a host of new producers, and as a result the singer re-entered recording studios in January 2003 to begin working on new songs with producers Missy Elliott
, Spike & Jamahl, Kanye West
, BAM & Ryan, Jasper DaFatso, and Jazze Pha
. While Elliott contributed four songs to the album and moreover replaced Jermaine Dupri
as its executive producer
, Monica also collaborated with rappers DMX
, Dirtbag, Busta Rhymes
and Mia X
, and singers Tweet
and Tyrese
. Mýa
also was originally going to lend her voice to a track, but she was eventually replaced by Faith Evans
; the untitled song did not, however, make the final tracklisting.
Although the album was still planned to be titled All Eyez on Me until its completion, the singer decided to change the album title into a more personal matter after dealing with private tribulations between the years 2000 and 2002: "I wanted this to be more of my testimony", Monica told Jet Magazine. "I feel blessed to still be here after a lot of things that I've been through. I wanted to share certain things with people. Not so much as what I've been through, but how I made it through. That's what the album reflects ... It's really the reason I titled my album After the Storm."
s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
chart. It entered at number one on the Billboard 200
, with sales of 186,000 copies, as Monica's first number-one album to date, and ultimately spent 24 weeks on the chart. Sales declined soon but uniformly continuous, and After the Storm eventually received a gold
certification from the Recording Industry Association of America
for shipments in excess of 500,000 copies in the US. As of August 2010, the record has sold 1,023,000 copies domestically. While the album opened at number six on the Canadian albums chart, it failed to enter the majority of the charts outside the United States.
Although "Don't Gotta Go Home", a duet with DMX, was considered to be released as a single at times, After the Storm spawned four singles: The album's lead single, "So Gone
", became Monica's biggest commercial successes in years, reaching number 10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and spending five consecutive weeks on top of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. It was eventually ranked fourth on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles 2003 year-end charts, but failed to chart or sell noticeably outside North America. Follow-up single "Knock Knock
" never made it out of the lower half of the Billboard Hot 100, while simultaneously released "Get It Off
" reached number 13 on the Hot Dance Club Play
chart. After the Storms fourth and final single, "U Should've Known Better
" received a late release in mid-2004 and became another top 20 hit for the singer.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
singer Monica, released June 17, 2003, on J Records
J Records
J Records was an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment, and was distributed through the RCA Music Group.-Company history:...
. Conceived from her abandoned project All Eyez on Me
All Eyez on Me (Monica album)
All Eyez on Me is the third studio album by American singer Monica. Named after its leading single, the album was released by J Records on October 21, 2002 in Japan only, featuring production by Dallas Austin, Bryan Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri, Rodney Jerkins, and Soulshock & Karlin among...
(2002), it was recorded during 2001 to 2003 at Doppler Studios, Patchwerk Studios, and SouthSide Studios in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Soulpower Studios and The Enterprise Studios in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, and Hit Factory Criteria in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
. Production for the album was handled primarily by Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
, Soulshock & Karlin
Soulshock & Karlin
Soulshock & Karlin is a duo of Danish record producers and songwriters, Carsten Schack and Kenneth Karlin. They have produced a large number of successful songs, including Monica's "Before You Walk out of My Life", Whitney Houston's "Heartbreak Hotel", JoJo's "Leave ", and Fantasia's "Truth Is"...
, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, and BAM & Ryan
Ryan Bowser
Ryan Bowser is a music producer from America. Born in St. Louis, he has worked for many artists during his career, mainly RnB and soul music....
.
The album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, selling 186,000 copies in its first week. It produced three singles that attained Billboard
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
chart success and has been certified gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
for shipments of one million copies in the United States. After the Storm received generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics. As of August 2010, the album has sold 1,023,000 copies in the United States.
Background
After the limited release and partial delay of All Eyez on Me, J RecordsJ Records
J Records was an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment, and was distributed through the RCA Music Group.-Company history:...
asked Monica to substantially reconstruct the record with a host of new producers, and as a result the singer re-entered recording studios in January 2003 to begin working on new songs with producers Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
, Spike & Jamahl, Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
, BAM & Ryan, Jasper DaFatso, and Jazze Pha
Jazze Pha
Phalon Anton Alexander , also known as Jazze Pha , is an American singer, and songwriter.raised in Memphis, TN; son of James Alexander ....
. While Elliott contributed four songs to the album and moreover replaced Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin , known as Jermaine Dupri or JD, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper.- Early life and career :...
as its executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
, Monica also collaborated with rappers DMX
DMX (rapper)
Earl Simmons , better known by his stage name DMX, is a multiplatinum American rapper and actor who rose to fame in the late 1990s. His stage name pays tribute to the Oberheim DMX drum machine, an instrument he used when he made his own rap beats in the 80's...
, Dirtbag, Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
and Mia X
Mia X
Mia Young , better known by her stage name Mia X, was the first female emcee to sign with No Limit Records. In 1992, she released a single titled “Ask Them Niggas.” From 1995 to 1998, Mia X released three albums for No Limit: Good Girl Gone Bad, Unlady Like, and Mama Drama...
, and singers Tweet
Tweet (singer)
Tweet is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter.-Early years:The youngest child of Tom and Shirley Keys, Tweet was born in Rochester, New York on January 21, 1972, and grew up singing in the church along with her parents and her four older siblings...
and Tyrese
Tyrese
Tyrese Darnell Gibson , also known simply as Tyrese, is an American R&B singer, rapper, actor, author, former fashion model and MTV VJ. After releasing several albums, he transitioned into films, with lead roles in several Hollywood releases.-Early life:Gibson was born in Los Angeles, California,...
. Mýa
Mya
-A person:* Bo Mya , Chief Commander of the Karen National Union* Mýa , American R&B singer-songwriter and actress** Mýa , a 1998 album by Mýa-A code:* Burmese language, ISO 639-3 code is mya* Moruya Airport's IATA code...
also was originally going to lend her voice to a track, but she was eventually replaced by Faith Evans
Faith Evans
Faith Renée Evans is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, record producer, actress and author. Born in Florida and raised in New Jersey, Evans relocated to Los Angeles during 1993 for a career with the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al B...
; the untitled song did not, however, make the final tracklisting.
Although the album was still planned to be titled All Eyez on Me until its completion, the singer decided to change the album title into a more personal matter after dealing with private tribulations between the years 2000 and 2002: "I wanted this to be more of my testimony", Monica told Jet Magazine. "I feel blessed to still be here after a lot of things that I've been through. I wanted to share certain things with people. Not so much as what I've been through, but how I made it through. That's what the album reflects ... It's really the reason I titled my album After the Storm."
Reception
The album debuted at number two on BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
chart. It entered at number one on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, with sales of 186,000 copies, as Monica's first number-one album to date, and ultimately spent 24 weeks on the chart. Sales declined soon but uniformly continuous, and After the Storm eventually received a gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
certification from the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
for shipments in excess of 500,000 copies in the US. As of August 2010, the record has sold 1,023,000 copies domestically. While the album opened at number six on the Canadian albums chart, it failed to enter the majority of the charts outside the United States.
Although "Don't Gotta Go Home", a duet with DMX, was considered to be released as a single at times, After the Storm spawned four singles: The album's lead single, "So Gone
So Gone
"So Gone" is a song by American R&B singer Monica. It was written by rapper-producer Missy Elliott, Kenneth Cunningham, and Jamahl Rye and co-produced by Elliott and duo Spike & Jamahl for Monica's fourth studio album After the Storm , incorporating a sample of the 1976 recording "You Are Number...
", became Monica's biggest commercial successes in years, reaching number 10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and spending five consecutive weeks on top of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. It was eventually ranked fourth on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles 2003 year-end charts, but failed to chart or sell noticeably outside North America. Follow-up single "Knock Knock
Knock Knock (song)
"Knock Knock" is a song by American recording artist Monica. It was written and produced by Missy Elliott for Monica's fourth studio album After the Storm and contains excerpts from 1976's "It's a Terrible Thing to Waste Your Love" as written by Lee Hatim and performed by The Masqueraders...
" never made it out of the lower half of the Billboard Hot 100, while simultaneously released "Get It Off
Get It Off
"Get It Off" is an R&B/hip hop song written by Craig Brockman, Missy Elliott, Herbert Jordan, and Steve Standard for Monica's fourth studio album, After the Storm . It was co-produced by Elliott and DJ Scratch and features uncredited guest vocals by rapper Dirtbag...
" reached number 13 on the Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
chart. After the Storms fourth and final single, "U Should've Known Better
U Should've Known Better
"U Should've Known Better" is a song by American R&B singer Monica. It was written by Monica, Jermaine Dupri and Harold Lilly and produced by Dupri for her original third studio album, All Eyez on Me , featuring additional production by Bryan Michael Cox...
" received a late release in mid-2004 and became another top 20 hit for the singer.
Track listing
Sample credits
- "Get It Off" contains a sample of Strafe's 1984 "Set It Off".
- "So Gone" contains a sample of The WhispersThe WhispersThe Whispers are a long-established R&B-dance vocal group from Los Angeles, California, with a consistent track record of hit records dating back to the late 1960s.-Career:...
' 1976 "Are You Number One". - "Knock Knock" contains a sample of The MasqueradersThe MasqueradersThe Masqueraders is a 1928 novel written by Georgette Heyer. It is set in Britain at a time shortly after the 1745 Jacobite Rising and is concerned with a family of escaped Jacobites.-Plot summary:...
' 1976 "It's a Terrible Thing to Waste Your Love". - "I Wrote This Song" contains a sample of Shuggie OtisShuggie OtisShuggie Otis is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, and multi-instrumentalist....
' 1970 "Aht Uh Mi Hed". - "All Eyez on Me" contains a sample of Michael JacksonMichael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's 1982 "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)"P.Y.T. " is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. The original demo version of the song was written by Jackson and Greg Phillinganes. It is the sixth single from Jackson's sixth solo album, Thriller . Quincy Jones passed on the song itself but liked the title and, with James Ingram,...
". - "What Part of the Game" contains a sample of Pimp CPimp CChad Lamont Butler , better known by his stage name Pimp C, was an American rapper, singer, and producer...
' 1996 "Break 'Em off Somethin'.
Musicians
- Montez Arnold – keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- Eric D. Jackson – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Mark Kelly – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Tommy Martin – guitar
- Billy Odum – guitar
- Charles Pettaway – guitar
- R.J. – guitar
Production
- Album producers: Monica ArnoldMonica (singer)Monica Denise Brown , and professionally known as Monica, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, Monica began performing as a child and became part of a traveling gospel choir, by the time she was ten...
, Clive DavisClive DavisClive Davis is an American record producer and music industry executive. He has won five Grammy Awards and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer. From 1967 to 1973 he was the President of Columbia Records. He was the founder and president of Arista Records from 1975... - Executive producerExecutive producerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
s: Missy ElliottMissy ElliottMelissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one... - Vocal producer: MonicaMonica (singer)Monica Denise Brown , and professionally known as Monica, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, Monica began performing as a child and became part of a traveling gospel choir, by the time she was ten...
, LaShawn DanielsLaShawn DanielsLaShawn Ameen Daniels is an American songwriter, best known for his work with longtime colleague Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. Daniels has written several of the Darkchild Team's hit songs, among them "The Boy Is Mine" by Brandy & Monica, "Say My Name" and "Lose My Breath" by Destiny's Child, "You...
, Andre "mrDEYO" Deyo, Harold Lilly, Tommy Niblack - Vocal assistance: Isaac Carree, Shamora CrawfordShamora CrawfordShamora Crawford is songwriter, producer and artist from Atlanta, Georgia, USA, who has written songs and worked on vocal production for artists including Monica, Jennifer Lopez, Blu Cantrell and Brandy...
, New Birth Praise Team, TweetTweet (singer)Tweet is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter.-Early years:The youngest child of Tom and Shirley Keys, Tweet was born in Rochester, New York on January 21, 1972, and grew up singing in the church along with her parents and her four older siblings... - EngineerEngineerAn engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
s: Rich Balmer, Carlos Bedoya, Demacio Castellon, Brian Frye, Carlton Lynn, Bill Malina, Fabian Marasciullo, Michael McCoy, Sam Thomas, Arnold Wolfe - Assistant engineers: Marcella Araica, Jimmy Briggs, Ralph Cacciurri, John Horesco IV, Marc Stephen Lee, Tadd Mingo, Rabeka Tuinei, Javier Valverde, Chris Young
- MixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
: Mr. Leslie Braithwaite, Jermaine Dupri, Scott Kieklak, Carlton Lynn, Fabian Marasciullo, Manny Marroquin, Dexter Simmons, Phil Tan
- Product Coordination: Candice Childress, Melinda Dancil
- A&RA&RArtists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
: Larry Jackson - Additional A&R: Keith Naftaly
- Design: Alexis Yraola
- Art Direction: Alexis Yraola
- Art Dept. Production: Chris Lebeau
- Photography: Warwick Saint
Chart positions
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
6 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Internet Albums | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
2 |
Chart procession and succession
Release history
| Region | Date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
June 17, 2003 | J J Records J Records was an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment, and was distributed through the RCA Music Group.-Company history:... |
| Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
June 24, 2003 | |
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
June 30, 2003 | |
| Europe Europe Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting... |
September 21, 2004 |
External links
- After the Storm at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...